Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Author
Topic: Great Advocacy Opportunity in Support of HIV Cure and Aging Research (Read 22709 times)

Treatment Action Group (TAG), a New York City–based organization of activists, is urging advocates from all 50 states to join a leadership network that will work closely with members of Congress to advance aging- and cure-related HIV research. The initiative will begin with a three-day gathering October 11 to 13 in Washington, DC, for which scholarships are available.

I just received confirmation that I have been selected to receive a full scholarship to partiicipate in the Treatment Action Group's What Would You Do For A Cure Initiative.

36 people were selected out of 350 applicants to participate. I will be flown to DC in mid October for two days to meet with Congressional representatives and/or their staff to advocate for HIV/AIDS research and treatment.

I will participate in a few conference calls prior to going to DC.

I am so excited to be able to be able to go to DC and advocate on behalf of all people with HIV/AIDS.

Did anyone else find out that they had been selected to participate?

Thanks Tim for posting the info - I filled out the application right after it was posted and thought that I hadn't got selected --- I am smiling so hard right now --- very happy and very excited!

"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

That really is awesome. You've got a great deal of work cut out for you -- we're really coming on a do-or-die situation in Congress -- and it sounds as if you're going to be working on this campaign with some top-notch folks. The TAG gang are among the best and brightest and I'm sure you're going to find the experience fulfilling.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I got the approval today from my employer to take off the three days necessary to participate in Washington DC at the TAG initiative.

My supervisor is extremely supportive and will also be allowing me time to participate in the various conference calls and webinars associated with the project.

I am very fortunate to have an employer who knows of my condition and is supportive and makes sure that I don't have any barriers that prevent me from fully functioning on my job; maintaining my treatment; and participating in advocacy related to research and treatment.

Packing this weekend to get ready to leave on Tuesday for TAG's What Would You Do For A Cure initiative in Washington D.C.

We have had several conference calls and webinars in preparation for the visit - where we will meet with congressional representatives and/or their staff to advocate for continued (and hopefully increased) funding for HIV cure-related and aging research.

TAG has been great on preparing participants - via provision of scientific information on current status of research and funding, benefits of continued funding, and talking points.

I am looking forward to carrying a personal message infused with scientific and economic basis for supporting targeted research funding that will not only benefit those of us living with HIV/AIDS, but those not yet infected, and society in general (as HIV cure-related research and aging research has also produced benefits for those who are not positive).

I will provide a full report (hopefully with pictures to accompany) upon my return. I'm excited about having an expanded role as an advocate and activist for this cause and can only hope to have the impact that others who have walked this path before me and who continue to be vocal (such as Peter Staley, Tim Horn, Jan, Mark Harrington) have had on advancements in treatment, policy, and support.

can we do something... in order to move cure-related research forward as quickly as possibleCan we use social networks in orde to make pressure as it has happenin other issues in other part of the world soscial networks mada history (Spain, Egypt, Chile, ect)we have to organize and give money to the researchers in order to catalyze the new promising therapies.. watch the work of abzyme form Professor Sudhir and the work of prof Loyter with the mix. They are the only one who have succeded in controling and erradicatins HIV but they need dollars and the big pharma...we are the only interested..we do not have much timeAs as community we need to stay involved ……The benefits we have in our life today with ARV are because people took risksI am totally new in thes matter i jus habe been diagnosted and about to start ARV, Does any one know the work of zacha Bennet for AbzymeI contat Yissum the company who will comercializa the invetor of Dr. Loyter adn they told me that they are working on that..in fact de do not have any pharma interested.so is is been 30 years and is time to belive.the govetment has done is part but what about us?Many people are in the confort area...but would ask them iwaht can you give if you have the chance to be one day free of HIV..is is possible but we have to cataliza it

At the end Yissumm replied to me and told me that it will take many years before this product is will appearde in market,,

Much people say to me : You will get used and told me that they do understand and felt that way when they were new.And with time I am going to get used that they already have been butThat I have to move on, that there are many good drugsI am Mexican I do not have to worried since in Mexico medications is free, but what about the rest ?that throughout the time there have been arisen histories like this, that in Internet there is much sweepings, that is not worth Finally I request an excuse to them if offend to somebody with my thoughts, but I feel that we do not have to remain in the zone of comfort nobody is going to do something by us if we do not do we ourselves. Can we done something like Zacha is doing with to support the research of Prof LoyterI am a researcher in the area of polymers and there are two kind of work.Scientific Work that is called Basic science.. we still need more focus in HIVBut what is more important we need technological development…which is based in Basic Science but technological development has impact in common people

It must have a change ..... in this labyrinth we needed to move more express